{"id":192697,"date":"2026-06-21T00:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T21:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/192697\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T00:54:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T21:54:02","slug":"senior-slovak-diplomat-visiting-belarusian-deputy-foreign-minister-discuss-cooperation-amid-sanctions","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/192697\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Slovak diplomat, visiting Belarusian deputy foreign minister discuss cooperation amid sanctions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>June 20,&nbsp;<em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong>&nbsp;Marek E\u0161tok, state secretary at Slovakia\u2019s foreign ministry, wrote after meeting with&nbsp;Belarus\u2019 Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Siakreta&nbsp;in Bratislava on Thursday that they discussed the possibility of expanding economic cooperation between the two countries while complying with the European Union\u2019s sanctions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur discussions covered bilateral Slovak-Belarusian relations, the war in Ukraine, opportunities to expand economic cooperation, while respecting the existing EU sanction regime, and the future of relations between Belarus and the European Union,\u201d&nbsp;E\u0161tok&nbsp;said in a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarekEstok_SK\/status\/2067604791748890840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">post on X<\/a>.&nbsp;\u201cWe exchanged views openly and frankly, reflecting our shared belief that dialogue remains indispensable even on the most challenging issues.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>E\u0161tok&nbsp;described himself and&nbsp;Siakreta&nbsp;as&nbsp;\u201cprofessional diplomats\u201d who are \u201cfully aware that even in times of differing views and a complex international environment, communication remains an essential part of international relations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>E\u0161tok&nbsp;welcomed the \u201cconstructive and professional\u201d atmosphere of the meeting. Slovakia remains interested in stability, predictability, and mutually beneficial relations across the wider region, he says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Belarusian foreign ministry was the first one to report on Thursday\u2019s meeting.&nbsp;\u201cIn a friendly atmosphere,\u201d Siakreta and E\u0161tok discussed issues relating to the development of bilateral cooperation, \u201cemphasizing the need to step up economic cooperation,\u201d and noted \u201cmutual efforts to ensure a full diplomatic presence in the capitals of the two countries,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also discussed \u201cregional and international security, including possible measures to restore trust for normalizing the situation in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On May 28, Siakreta and Martin Ka\u010do of the Slovakian foreign ministry\u2019s Directorate General for Political Affairs, reportedly held a round of bilateral political consultations in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slovakia\u2019s foreign ministry did not report on the talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slovakia remains on the Belarusian government\u2019s list of unfriendly countries, although its relations with Belarusian improved under Prime Minister Robert Fico. Slovak Ambassador Jozef Miga\u0161 arrived in Minsk in June 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Belarus closed its embassy in Bratislava in the fall of 2023. The last Belarusian ambassador to Slovakia was Ihar La\u0161\u010denia, who resigned in protest against the government\u2019s policy in August 2020. The diplomat, a former aide to Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, supported peaceful protesters after the disputed presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In September 2025, Fico asked \u0141uka\u0161enka to set a date for his visit to Minsk, as the two met in Beijing ahead of a massive military parade. The two pro-Russian politicians also had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this year, \u0141uka\u0161enka appointed Ihar Fisienka as ambassador to Slovakia. Belarus is expected to open a diplomatic mission in Bratislava before September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June 20,&nbsp;Pozirk.&nbsp;Marek E\u0161tok, state secretary at Slovakia\u2019s foreign ministry, wrote after meeting with&nbsp;Belarus\u2019 Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Siakreta&nbsp;in Bratislava on Thursday that they discussed the possibility of expanding economic cooperation between the two countries while complying with the European Union\u2019s sanctions.&nbsp; \u201cOur discussions covered bilateral Slovak-Belarusian relations, the war in Ukraine, opportunities to expand economic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":192687,"template":"","rubric":[21,16],"class_list":["post-192697","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-economy","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - 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